Final Decision Time -- Tidewater 216cc or SeaPro 206 -- I need your input! - The Hull Truth

ConchRepublic · 06-17-2008, 05:40 PM

Well, as it says, I'm down to these two choices: Tidewater 216cc or SeaPro 206. Purchase time is likely this week. The Tidewater comes rigged with a Yamaha F-150, the SeaPro with a Mercury Verado 150. Any input is greatly appreciated! Owners, friends of owners, dealers, please weigh in with your choice, and why...

thanks!

ngirolamo · 06-17-2008, 05:52 PM

Both nice looking boats.. the Seapro has more "free Board" and a deeper deadrise. if your flats fishing this really wont matter, it may be a factor if you plan some Gulf of Mexico adventures.. .

Seapro is rated for 225hp. But the tidewater looks cool..

This is a great problem to have,,enjoy your choice.

ovrrdrive · 06-17-2008, 07:04 PM

I bought an SV1900CC a month or so ago and I absolutely love it. The Seapro boats are really nice. I'm sure you'd love it.

I wish I had something bad to say about one or the other in yoor choices but I don't. Either will fill the bill nicely.

bluffman2 · 06-17-2008, 07:09 PM

i have the sea pro 206.....for the money its a heck of a boat....the only thing i dont like about the rear jump seat as it only allows little room to walk between leaning post and rear seat.......i take this boat 40+ miles in decent weather and have come in on some nasty stuff and just kept the bow up and plowed through the waves.....never once since then have i questioned the boats performance.....add trim tabs, which im gonna do real soon and you should be good to go........feel free to pm me if i can answer any more questions......Stephen

happyjack92 · 06-17-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

ConchRepublic - 6/17/2008 7:40 PM

Well, as it says, I'm down to these two choices: Tidewater 216cc or SeaPro 206. Purchase time is likely this week. The Tidewater comes rigged with a Yamaha F-150, the SeaPro with a Mercury Verado 150. Any input is greatly appreciated! Owners, friends of owners, dealers, please weigh in with your choice, and why...

thanks!

first a caveat: i have never been on either of these boats.

it would appear, strictly by looking at the spec sheets for each of these boats, that you might have a wee bit better ride on the tidewater. and the extra foot in length and slightly wide beam should give you more room in the cockpit. how did they compare during sea trials? were you able to trial under similar conditions.

and the f150 does have the reputation of being one of the most reliable outboards built.

both are good looking boats! good luck with your decision!

ConchRepublic · 06-17-2008, 08:49 PM

thanks all for the replies so far -- your feedback is appreciated -- I don't think there's a wrong choice here, but appreciate any input still...

tobyt · 06-17-2008, 09:16 PM

Tidewater comes from early model Seapro molds. A proven design. Seapro shut down 1 June. Warranty might be an issue.

bigdaddy98 · 06-17-2008, 09:55 PM

Some great feed back here. I am also looking at Tidewater / Sea Pro boats to purchase. I was sold on the Tidewater with a F150 Yamaha but my neighbor has been trying to talk me into a Sea Pro with a 150 Merc. What ever I buy it will be my last boat so I want it to last.

ovrrdrive · 06-18-2008, 02:46 AM

Quote:

tobyt - 6/17/2008 11:16 PM

Tidewater comes from early model Seapro molds. A proven design. Seapro shut down 1 June. Warranty might be an issue.

I keep seeing people try to say that but that's just ridiculous... Brunswick isn't going anywhere and they're the ones that wrote the warranty on Seapro. Warranty won't be an issue on the existing boats.

If Brunswick goes out of business we'll have a whole lot more to worry about than warranty on Seapro's...

Onewolf · 06-18-2008, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Tidewater comes from early model Seapro molds.

That's incorrect. I believe you are thinking about "Sea Boss". The head guy at Tidewater (Jimmy Metts) was the hull designer at Sea Pro before they were bought out by Brunswick and then he left and created Tidewater. The Tidewater hulls are new designs based upon what Jimmy learned while designing the Sea Pro hulls.

Contractor · 06-18-2008, 07:15 AM

As another poster pointed out the Tidwater boats are designed by the guy that used to work for Sea Pro.

I've been on both and think the fit and finish is better on the Tidewater. It's a similar design, but the Tidewater has some things the Sea Pro does not. One thing for example is the rod holders built into the Gunwhales. The Sea Pro has an insert that many folks have had problems with. The Tidewaters is molded into the hull which is a much better design IMHO.

The F-150 is a great motor and should perform pretty well on both boats. Some Tidwater Dealers will rig the Tidwater with a Suzi. If I were you I'd pick the Tidwater rigged with a Suzi 175 which would likely give you some better performance numbers.

However, both are good choices.

Raybo Marine NY · 06-18-2008, 07:28 AM

cautioning the buyer that the builder has quit making boats is good advice.

Regardless of who the parent company is you want to make sure who, what, and where you are going to go if you have a problem- IN WRITING.
Mercury warranty is one thing, but I can tell you first hand that SP warranty is tough enough to get money out of when they were NOT closed.

happyjack92 · 06-18-2008, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Contractor - 6/18/2008 9:16 AM
The F-150 is a great motor and should perform pretty well on both boats. Some Tidwater Dealers will rig the Tidwater with a Suzi. If I were you I'd pick the Tidwater rigged with a Suzi 175 which would likely give you some better performance numbers.

i like that advice. everything that i've read and experienced says you should power the boat to at least 80% of its max rating. although the performance bulletin on the tidewater with the F150 looked pretty good, i might consider going up to the F200/225. but the zuke DF175 seems like it would be a good compromise if available.

btw, i do like the lines a little more on the tidewater...it's a sweet looking ride.

ConchRepublic · 06-18-2008, 08:36 AM

thanks for all your input. Working in the Tidewater's favor now is that fact that our local dealer will trade my current Sea Hunt 172 very well against it...

Riptide828 · 06-18-2008, 10:18 AM

I was actually looking at the Tidewater 216 and the Pioneer 197. I wanted a versatile boat to use at the ocean or the lake, easy to tow and operate. Both boats fit the bill for what I wanted. Both boats are very nice, finish is great and each rides really well.

Was having a tough time making a decision.
Two final factors made the decision easier. First factor, I decided to call direct an talk to each company. Called Pioneer and talked to the head guy there. Answered all my questions, invited me down for a tour, sent me additional info via -mail. Super nice group of people.

I called Tidewater, they put me through to somebody in customer service who then switched me to somebody else then told me I needed to talk to somebody else but they were not availabe. Leave me your name, number and what its about and he will call you back. 3 days go by and nothing, not a word. Made another phone call, started getting switched around again. I finally told the last person who wanted to switch me to somebody else, that they helped make my mind up. They said, glad we could help. I said, Yep, Just let them know I am going to boat dealer today and buying a Pioneer. They hung up on me. I guess I deserved that, but enough was enough. I went to local dealer and worked a heck of a deal on my Pioneer. Saved about 10 grand.

I have nothing negative to say about the Tidewater 216 at all, but If there is no response from trying to talk to someone at Tidewater about buying, I can only imagine what kind of response I would of gotten if there was a major problem with the boat.

Customer Service goes along way..................

Riptide828 · 06-18-2008, 10:20 AM

deleted duplicate post

ConchRepublic · 06-18-2008, 10:29 AM

Riptide -- Indeed, any product/warranty is only as good as the folks backing it. With Tidewater, I spoke directly to Jimmy Metts. I sent out an email inquiry and someone sent me back his cell phone #. I guess the experience you had is sadly typical of a company in its infancy -- good product, but lacking any front end organization at this point to deal with customers. It's been a concern all along in this process for me...

A Few Dollars · 06-18-2008, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Raybo Marine NY - 6/18/2008 5:28 AM

cautioning the buyer that the builder has quit making boats is good advice.

Regardless of who the parent company is you want to make sure who, what, and where you are going to go if you have a problem- IN WRITING.
Mercury warranty is one thing, but I can tell you first hand that SP warranty is tough enough to get money out of when they were NOT closed.

Except I wouldn't want either one with a 150.

Ed'sMarineSuperstor · 06-18-2008, 02:24 PM

Quote:

ConchRepublic - 6/18/2008 12:29 PM

Riptide -- Indeed, any product/warranty is only as good as the folks backing it. With Tidewater, I spoke directly to Jimmy Metts. I sent out an email inquiry and someone sent me back his cell phone #. I guess the experience you had is sadly typical of a company in its infancy -- good product, but lacking any front end organization at this point to deal with customers. It's been a concern all along in this process for me...

How can it get better than having the owner's cell phone? Do you want to take his kids hostage?

ConchRepublic · 06-18-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Ed'sMarineSuperstor - 6/18/2008 4:24 PM

How can it get better than having the owner's cell phone? Do you want to take his kids hostage?

That's right, we'll need wallet sized photos.... Okay, ha ha. I'm the first to say I was completely impressed with him taking the time to talk and answer questions. And it's likely why I'm going to purchase one of his boats this weekend. The fit/finish, and features for the $ just seem to be a cut above no matter how hard I shop the competition.